Issue 6
Welcome to a previous issue of The Journal. To get the latest issue delivered to your inbox, once a month, sign up for the newsletter here.
Lots to bring you up to speed on, mainly, I’ve lost 8 pounds since the last email. How? See “my body hacks” section below, it’s crazy easy. Also, don’t mistake the Tony Hawk video for just a skateboarding video, it’s a real glimpse into what it takes to be a top performer.
No podcast (I’ve been traveling), but great stories. Enjoy this issue!
Kevin
My body hacks — June log
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT USE ANY DRUGS OR SUBSTANCES WITHOUT CONSULTING A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
By popular demand (thanks for your emails), I’ve decided to create this new section dedicated to my self-experimentation updates.
Why? We’re all getting older (thank you for following me along the journey), and with age comes changes to our bodies. For me, it’s less energy, extra weight, some random aches/pains, and a little more mental fog (attention + short term memory). Some of that is to be expected, of course. But some of this can be addressed and reversed. That’s why I enjoy the world of self-experimentation.
I’m not a doctor or scientist, but I surround myself with some of the best to help me stay on the bleeding edge of this stuff.
My experiments this month —
- Circadian timed meals (May 23rd-today): I had a conversation w/ Dr. Rhonda Patrick in which she mentioned some creative new research done by Dr. Satchin Panda on time-restricted feeding and it’s effects on obesity, muscle mass, and heart health. The data is extremely compelling. Mice on a time-restricted feeding cycle had 70% less fat mass while eating a crappy diet. They accomplished this by just adjusting their eating window to when their bodies can process the food best. I’m now over a month into the program and have lost 8 pounds without changing anything in my diet. I’m excited to see where this goes. For more information watch Rhonda’s podcast w/ Dr. Panda (just released yesterday).
- L-Theanine (June 15th): L-Theanine is that relaxing (but not sedative) amino acid found in Green Tea. More info on the examine profile. I took a 100mg dose of L-Theanine with my afternoon coffee, didn’t feel any effects. Going to try 200mg on next stressful day. I’ve heard great things about L-Theanine, but still trying to dial in the right dosage.
Next month: I’ve become obsessed with the world of Nootropics and have purchased three cognitive enhancers to address my focus and short term memory problems. Notes from those experiments next month. New to the world of Nootropics? Then check out the Smart Drug Smarts podcast.
TEDx: Being brilliant every single day
Dr. Watkins is studying the link between heart rate variability and cognition, a subject I’m starting to see gain traction among academics and self-experimenters. This is a great two part primer and something you should get familiar with now, as it’s gaining momentum.
“The most powerful signal in the body is the heart beat — it has around fifty times the electrical power of the brain. It needs that power to co-ordinate the pulsing contractions of the heart. When the heart rate — the beats per minute — fluctuates wildly it generates a chaotic electrical signal that travels through the nervous system into the brain. This impairs frontal lobe function reducing our perceptiveness, clarity, creativity and inhibitions. Under extreme pressure the chaotic signal can cause complete brain shut down, as if we have given ourselves a lobotomy!”
In this video Dr. Walkins shows how controlling your breath can help increase cognitive performance. I plan to self-experiment with this software in the future.
Part 1 (18:41), Part 2 (26:14)
Simple phone holder that I love
I didn’t think I needed a phone holder until a co-worker convinced me (thanks, Adam). Now I’ve converted my phone into a second display (turning off auto-lock in the settings). Having the phone upright allows me to quickly see who’s calling, play my favorite podcasts (I really dislike iTunes, I use Overcast), or use it for real-time stock tracking.
elago M2 stand on Amazon — $19.99
Overcast for iOS — Free
Airplane black boxes, explained
Unfortunately, with all the recent airline disasters, black boxes have been in the media spotlight. This quick video explains how black boxes work. Video (1:27)
Tony Hawk pulls off a 900 at age 48
There is something very special about this video that I want to draw your attention to. This isn’t just a video of Tony pulling off a 900 at age 48 (which is just insane, and worthy of a dedicated post). It’s an inside look at what it takes to be the very best.
Tony exposes some of his failed attempts in the video. They are cringe worthy and certainly (and sadly) causing serious damage to his body. If any of us were to take a SINGLE blow to the head like this, we’d likely hang up our gear and move on to a safer sport. Tony has taken falls like these thousands of times over his career.
There is an important takeaway here that you can apply to any objective in your life. If you want to be the very best, not mediocre, not great, but the very best. You have to get your ass kicked over and over, raw talent alone is never enough to win. Think of something you failed at, how many times did you get back up after being knocked unconscious? This is what separates the elite performers from the rest of us. This is what makes Tony Hawk legendary.
Monthly wisdom
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
~Eleanor Roosevelt
Snapchat me up: “hikrose”
See you next month, be well.
Kevin
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